Bell Family Company Blog

Tag Archives: child

Labor can start at any second from week 37 onward. I’m at 37 weeks now and I’m finding it difficult to distinguish between gas, Braxton Hicks, and real labor contractions. You should be on the lookout for any signs of labor! A term baby can be born anytime between 37 weeks and 42 weeks of pregnancy. I found this site super helpful in providing answers as I woke up at 3 a.m. with strange quick pains.

Note that a “term” pregnancy is divided into four blocks:
1. Early term (between 37 weeks 0 days and 38 weeks 6 days)
2. Full term (between 39 weeks 0 days and 40 weeks 6 days)
3. Late term (between 41 weeks 0 days and 41 weeks 6 days)
4. Post term ( between 42 weeks 0 days and beyond )

What is term labor?
Term labor begins when you have contractions between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. Your due date is set at the first day of the 40th week. When you have contractions that begin before 37 weeks, it is called preterm labor, and if they wait to start past 42 weeks you are considered post term.

Take a look at this site for some answers and relief. It provides some helpful insight on the following topics:

- What are the signs (Braxton Hicks Contractions) that labor is starting?
- What are the signs of true labor?
- When does labor start for twins?
- When you start having contractions you should time the interval between them
- Birth plans
- Breech position and how it complicates labor
- Breech position and external cephalic version
- Growth and development of baby

Parents sometimes have to bring their kids to places where there isn’t readily available entertainment or are running low on fun ideas. Our BFC sitters are experts in drumming up ideas, so we figured we’d share some impromptu child activities:

1. Host a Hoola Hoop & Limbo contest with the neighborhood kids! Have the kids make signs & promote the contest. Invite parents to attend, set up & play!Props: hoola hoop & some music

2. For the car ride, play rounds of “I Spy”Props: Nothing necessary!

3. Play a game of Keep it Up! This is classic, get a balloon or pool ball & play rounds of keep it up. This game can be played anywhere & it can go on for hours. Make teams, play-one-on-one & more.Props: Balloon or pool ball

4. Duck, Duck, Goose. Okay another classic. This gets the kids outside or can be played indoors & encourages them to be active!Props: Nothing necessary!

5. Hot & Cold Treasure Hunt. Designate one person to be ‘it’ & direct the other person to go find the hidden treasure by following the map. ‘It’ is responsible for telling the other when they are ‘hot’ or ‘cold’Props: Treasure map style-hide toy(s) through the house & then map it out for them to follow

If you do not have any props/toys to work with here are some other fun ideas!

1. Read books (maybe rent a few from your local library to bring with you on your outing)

2. Color (bring crayons and construction paper if you have on hand)

3. Dance parties (a Bell Family favorite). Download kidzbop on pandora for an instant dance party; they also have a children’s sing along station which could be fun!

Recently, on a shopping trip, I approached a fellow mom. Her completely adorable infant was buckled into a bucket style carseat which was perched precariously atop the store’s shopping cart. I complimented her baby and then gently informed her that those seats are not made to be on top of the cart; it causes a top-heavy situation which makes the cart prone to tipping, and could even damage the locking mechanism made to keep the seat safely secured to the base your car.

She snapped at me to mind my own business before continuing on down the aisle.

I get it. We, all of us moms, are trying our very best. We are taking in all of the research and making decisions that work for our families, and very resentful of unwanted advice and perceived judgment.

I was not always a CPST. I did not always use best practices with my car seats. I didn’t know! Every day, I am learning more, and I, like you, am just trying to do my best. This is a picture of my son at four months old, and while he is adorable, this is practically an advertisement of what NOT to do. Dangerous aftermarket car seat insert? Check. Overly bulky coat affecting the harness fit? Check. Too low placement of the chest clip? Check. I don’t remember a specific instance of putting his seat on the top of a shopping cart, but I probably did.

I am so, so lucky that we were never in an accident that could have proven my errors to be fatal. So please, don’t be mad if I stop you and critique your car seat – you never know if you might not be so lucky.

Here are few car seat tips to keep everyone safe:

Most of the car seat accessories in the big box stores are not recommended, or even illegal.

The sleeping bag style car seat inserts, neck pillows, and fluffy shoulder strap covers are not crash tested with your seat, and may alter how it works in a collision. If it did not come in the box with your seat, use extreme caution before using it. Check your manual – use of these aftermarket items is forbidden and can void your warranty. Additionally, many states have a “proper use” clause in their child restraint laws, and going against the manual would actually be illegal.

State laws are minimums, and do not reflect best practices.

Just because something is legal, does not make it the safest. Most states allow for turning your child to forward facing at one year and 20 pounds. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until at least 2 years, or until your child outgrows the limits of his seat. Best practices is for children to ride rear facing until age 3-4, forward facing with a 5 point harness until age 5-6, in a booster until age 10-12, and in the back seat until age 13.

Get your seat checked by a certified Child Passenger Safety Tech.

Car collisions are the leading cause of death for children up to age 13 in the United States, and up to 85% of child restraints show critical misuses. An improperly used car seat can actually be MORE dangerous than not using one at all – CPSTs are trained in the various types of car seats and safe installation, and checks are often free. Find a tech near you here: http://cert.safekids.org/find-tech-0 Remember that car seat safety does not end when your child graduates to the next stage. The misuse in boosters is higher even than for newborn seats!

Read your manuals – for the car seat AND for your vehicle.

Make sure you are getting the safest possible installation every time! Your vehicle manual will tell you which seating positions allow for child restraints, where the LATCH and tether anchors are located, and anything you need to be aware of for the air bag system. Your car seat manual will tell you when the seat is outgrown, weight limits for use with the LATCH system, and how to properly use the seat. Car seats are not accessories; they are critical pieces of safety gear – make sure you are using them properly!

-Sarah Ludwig is a former teacher and mom of two. She is a childbirth educator, doula, baby wearing educator, and child passenger safety tech; she is also on the Westchester Safe Kids Advisory Board. You can also find Sarah on her own family blog, lovetheludwigs.com.